Strong protest over bid for 42 new homes in Potton

Potton Town Council has vigorously objected to plans for 42 new homes in the area.
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More than 10 members of the public attended the meeting of the town council on Tuesday to protest at the plans on land south of Sandy Road.

And the group Potton Residents for Sustainable Growth is urging people to make their objections known before tha plans come before Central Bedfordshire Council.

The application follows on from one refused by CBC last year.

Among its objections councillors said the scheme was in the wrong place and was not a logical extension to Potton.

It is also not included in the CBC Local Plan and makes no reference to Potton’s own Town Plan.

There were also concerns the site’s main road would exit onto Sandy Road “at a point that is dangerous due to the volume and speed of traffic entering / leaving Potton. The dangerous nature of this section of road was highlighted by a fatality in the Winter of 2018,” said councillors.

They also queried claims of adequate bus journeys to Bedford, stating the frequency of buses in Potton has been reduced with only one bus per hour during peak times, less at other times and no buses on Sunday.

The location of the site is a considerable distance to the nearest bus stop, said councillors.

They also raised fears of an excessive number of houses being planned for the area.

Their conclusion states: “The current infrastructure of Potton is already stretched and will be challenged by the existing new developments approved in 2017. A further 42 households is therefore unsustainable and would put undue pressure on the town.”

In all, they raised 30 objections to the revised plans.

A spokesman for the PRSG urged people to register their fresh objections to CBC before January 28.

Any objections placed with the council for the previous plans will not be considered.